Canadian RadioShack stores get new name

All RadioShack stores in Canada will be renamed The Source by Circuit City â the fallout from a legal ruling that went against the U.S. company that operates the Canadian stores.

Last month, a U.S. district court judge ordered that more than 900 stores in Canada must stop using the RadioShack brand name in any of their signs, packaging, products or advertising by June 30.

The RadioShack stores in Canada are overseen by Circuit City Stores Inc. RadioShack stores in the U.S. are operated by RadioShack Corp.

Circuit City and RadioShack are major competitors in the U.S. So last year, when Circuit City bought Barrie, Ont.-based InterTan Inc. (which owned the rights to the RadioShack name in Canada), RadioShack Corp. asked the courts to allow it to end the licensing contract it had with InterTan.

That licensing deal had allowed InterTan to use the RadioShack name at its company-owned and dealer stores across Canada until 2010.

Alleging that InterTan had breached the terms of its agreement with RadioShack, the company launched a lawsuit last year seeking the court's OK to end the contract early.

InterTan said all of its RadioShack stores will be rebranded over the next couple of months. The first store to get a rebrand was unveiled Wednesday at Toronto's Eaton Centre.

"Ninety per cent of all Canadians live within a 10-minute drive to one of our locations," said InterTan CEO Brian Levy in a statement.

"By June 30, The Source by Circuit City will have the same national coverage. Customers will continue to see quality, national and international electronics brands as well as an emphasis on personal and portable devices," he said.